JUDGMENT :

I.M. Quddusi, J. - These are three writ petitions filed by the Petitioners, who belong to Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes category, against the impugned judgment and order dated 21.10.2002 passed by the Orissa Administrative Tribunal in O.A. No. 1785 of 2002.

2. The brief facts of the case are that the Orissa Public Service Commission (hereinafter referred to as 'O.P.S.C.') issued advertisement No. 16 of 1974-75 inviting applications in the prescribed form from the eligible candidates for admission to the Competitive Examination (1974-1975) for recruitment of about 300 Lower Division Assistants in different Departments of Orissa Secretariat. of these vacancies, 16 per cent of the posts were reserved for Scheduled Caste and 24 per cent for Scheduled Tribe. After conducting the written and viva voce examination, the Commission recommended to the State Government in the Home Department names of 714 successful candidates which included the applicants in the O.A. and 20 candidates belonging to Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes category. The said list was approved by the Home Department on 24.11.1977. As sufficient number of candidates belonging to Scheduled Castes & Sched